1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to completion and production strings deployed in wellbores for the production of hydrocarbons from subsurface formations, including completion strings deployed for fracturing, sand packing, flooding and the production of hydrocarbons.
2. Background of the Art
Wellbores are drilled in subsurface formations for the production of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). Modern wells can extend to great well depths, often more than 15,000 ft. Hydrocarbons are trapped in various traps or zones in the subsurface formations at different wellbore depths. Such zones are referred to as reservoirs or hydrocarbon-bearing formations or production zones. Strings containing various devices are deployed in the wellbore for treatment operations, such as fracturing (also referred to as fracing or fracking), sand packing, flooding and for the production of hydrocarbons over the life of the wells. Packers are commonly placed at various locations on strings to isolate zones for treatment of zones and to produce fluids from such zones. For example, in a multi-zone well, a packer above and a packer below each zone may be used to isolate such zone from the remaining zones. Packers typically include a number of circumferentially disposed packer elements around a tubular member or a packer body, which elements when expanded radially from the packer body press against and clamp onto the wellbore wall or the casing. Packers typically are either hydraulically-set packers or mechanically-set packers. Hydraulically-set packers typically include valves and require pressuring the well to set such packers. Mechanically-set packers include a sleeve on the outer side of the packer body that when pushed sets the packer elements. Such mechanical packers are set or deployed by conveying a running tool into the wellbore to apply force directly onto the sleeve located on the outside of the packer body. The sleeve slides along the outside of the packer body to radially expand the packer elements and set the packer inside the well or the casing, as the case maybe. In some strings, such as strings used for fracing and sand packing, the outside of the packer is not accessible and, thus, load or force cannot be applied onto the sleeve on the outside of the packer by a running tool to set the packer.
The disclosure herein provides strings for use in wellbores that include one or more mechanically-set packers that may be set or deployed from inside the packer body.